Edward collins



(No Model.)

' E. COLLINS.

SAFETY BRAKE FOR ELEVATOR CARS.

.No. 598,910. Patented'Peb. 15, 1898;

Iv N //v VENTOH W m' A4, ATTORNEYJ,

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD COLLINS, oF'NEw YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY-BRAKE FOR ELEVATOR-C ARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 598,910, dated February 15, 1898. Application filed December 3, 1896. fierial No. 614,270. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD COLLINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York;

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Brakes for Elevator- Gars, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements upon the elevator safety-brake upon which I have already secured Letters Patent of the United States of America, dated the 5th day of May, 1896, No. 559,569.

The invention also relates to improved mechanism for preventing the main operating-lever from returning to its normal position after the said lever has once been either partially or wholly actuated and the brake 2 has been set.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, efficient, and powerful brake mech- 7 anism for arresting the downward movement of the elevator-car upon the breaking of the main cable which supports the said car upon its travels and to provide an automatically acting block or stop which prevents the brake mechanism after it has'once been set from being released until the operator desires that the same be released, no matter what position the main operating-lever may be in at the time the brake mechanism is set.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafter set forth 3 5 and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side View of my improvements. Fig. 2 Ba bottom plan View. Fig. 3 is a view of a section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig,

4 is a view showing a preferred form of the cam.

Like letters refer to like-parts throughout the several views.

I have not illustrated the mechanism which in case of accident aotuates the main operating-lever, for it-is to be understood that-in such event the said lever will be operated by substantially the same means as that set forth and described in said Letters Patent No. 559,569 above referred tothat is to say, by

.tact of the entire surface.

a rope, cord, or chain 1' ordinarily moving with the car, but controlled by a governor and trip and-clamp mechanism which only opcrates when an accident occurs to greatly accelerate the motion of the car. I do not, however, hereby intend to limit my invention for use in connection with the last -described mechanism for actuating the said lever in case of accident, for it is obvious that any suitable mechanism may be employed without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

B denotes a portion of the elevator-car, to the bottom timberA of which the operating parts of the safety-brake attachment are securely bolted on the under side thereof.

' D D are hollow head-blocks firmly secured to the timber A, one at each end. (Shown in section, Fig. 2.)

G G are levers pivoted at h within the headblocks, and e e are clamping-levers, the levers 6 being pivoted .within the said head-blocks and the clamping-levers 6 being made integral with the levers G G.

ff are the shoes constituting the brake carried by the clamping-levers e and the short arms 6 of the levers G G "and pivoted thereto. These brake-shoes engage the Vertical guide-runners C C on the guide-posts O C and are adapted to operate on said guide-run- 8o ners simultaneously and compress the same between their faces when the safety device is called into operation. The faces of the brakeshoes may be grooved or roughened to promote adhesion, if desired, and by the pivotal connection between the brake-shoes and their respective lovers the former are enabled to adjust themselves in position to the vertical surface of the'guide-runners, so as to secure con- O f denotes a spring the purpose of which is 9 to keep the outer ends of the adjacent levers away from each other and from the guide runners when the lever J, which is firmly secured by a pivot-bolt to the timber A at j, is 5 in its normal position. The function of this lever J is to act upon and operate the long arms of the levers G G when itself is operated upon by the rope T, which connects its long arm q with the governor and trip and clamp- :00 ing mechanism above referred to. This action is conveyed through the mediumof the short arms m n, which may be provided with antifriction-rollers k 70, as shown, for the purpose of reducing friction.

' S S are two guide-plates provided with slots, v

(not shown,) through which suitable securingbolts pass into webs 5, formed on each headblock. This enables them to be adjusted.

v w are springs to prevent the lever J from being accidentally operated by the checkrope r and to retain the levers in their normal position.

\Vhen the tray'el of the rope r is suddenly arrested by the action of the governor and trip-and-clamp mechanism above referred to, a strong pull is communicated to the leverarm q of the lever J, to which the said rope ris attached, and this instantly moves the said lever-arm outward against the tension of the springs Q} and w. Motion is thereby transmitted through the chain of compound levers to the brake-shoes f f, which are simultaneously constricted toward each other, embracing the guide-runners in their jaws, and thus arresting the downward movement of the car.

a denotes a shaft passing upward through a metallic bushing Z), and passing downward through the part B.

(t denotes a covering for the shaft a. This bushing, however, is not essential, as obviously the shaft may rotate in a hole in the part 13 instead of the bushing. The lower end of this shaft is provided with a spirally formed cam c and rests upon a bearing on the yoke (1', attached to the metal plate 6 which latter is securely fastened to the under side of the timber A.

f is an abutment or block for limiting the extent of rotation of said cam made integral with the plate 6 and provided with a guide groove or channel 9, in which the projection or ridge h on the cam c is adapted to travel. The periphery of the cam c, as shown in Fig. 4, is provided with a long flat surface a and with a series of short flattened surfaces, each successively farther from the center than the preceding one. These flat surfaces, however, are not essential, as the surface of the periphery of the cam may be rounded without departing from the spirit of my invention.

t' denotes a coiled spring encircling the shaft a. The upper part of this spring is secured to the shaft 0., and the lower part passes through the plate a and is secured to the same by means of a nut or rivet the head of which is countersunk in said plate.

When the levers J, G, and G are in their normal positions, the cam is so arranged that the flat surface 0 thereof is parallel with and rests against the side of the lever G. iVhen the lever G is actuated and is being drawn in a direction away from the cam, the coiled spring causes the cam to be automatically revolved in synchronism with the movement of said lever, so that no matter what position the lever G may assume there is always in direct contact with it some part of the periphery of said cam, thereby preventing the said lever from springing back to its normal position in case the rope 0 should break after the lever J has been operated upon. If for any reason the cam-shaft a should break, the abutment or block f would still prevent the lever G and its connections from assuming their normal positions. It is obvious that the cam may be used in connection with either of the levers G or G and even directly with the main operatinglever J Without departing from my invention. By turning the shaft in the opposite direction by any suitable means the lever G may be gradually brought back to the position in which it originally was before being operated upon.

By means of the mechanism last above described I am enabled to provide a mechanism absolutely safe and reliable, whereby at all times after the brake mechanism has been set-that is, after the lever J has been actuatedthe position of the lever J and its connections will become fixed and stationary and be prevented from returning to their normal positions if by any chance the rope 9' should break after the brake mechanism has been set.

hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with the brake of the main operatin g mechanism therefor, and means operating synchronously therewith consisting of a spirally-formed cam and cooperating elements whereby the brake is maintained in the position assumed after having been either partially or wholly set.

2. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with the brake of the main operating mechanism therefor, and automaticallyacting mechanism consisting of a spirallyformed cam and cooperating elements acting synchronously therewith to maintain the brake in the position assumed after having been either partially or wholly set.

3. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with a clamping-lever, a long lever actuating said clamping-lever, said levers being each provided with a brake-shoe, suitable supports for said levers and a main operating-lever acting upon said long lever, of cam mechanism operating in appropriate proximity to one of said levers whereby the various parts are maintained in the position assumed after the brake has been either partially or wholly set. i

4. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with the brake, of the main operating mechanism therefor, and an automatically-rotated cam 0 formed with a bearing-surface of continually-increasing radius acting in synchronism therewith, whereby the brake is maintained in the position assumed after it has been either partially or wholly set.

5. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with the brake of the main operating mechanism therefor and an automatically-rotated cam 0 provided with a series of IOC IIC

flattened surfaces, each successively farther from the center than the preceding one, acting synchronously with the said main operating mechanism, whereby the brake is maintained in the position assumed after it has been either partially or wholly set.

6. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with the brake of the main operating mechanism therefor and the automatically-rotated cam 0 formed with a bearingsurface of continually-increasing radius, and

means whereby the extent of the rotation of said cam is limited.

7. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with the brake, of the main operating mechanism therefor and the automatically-rotated cam a formed with a bearingsurface of continually-increasing radius acting in synchronism therewith, and having a fin or ridge h adapted by contact with an abutment f to limit the rotation of said cam, said cam being arranged as described in re lation to said main operating mechanism whereby the brake is maintained in the position assumed after it has been either partially or wholly set.

8. In a safety device for elevators, the com bination with the brake, of the main operating mechanism therefor and the automatically-rotated cam 0 formed with a bearingsurface of continually-increasing radius acting in synchronism therewith and provided with a ridge or fin h adapted to limit the rotation of said cam by contact with an abutment f provided with a guide-groove 9, saidcam being arranged as described in relation to said main operating mechanism whereby the brake is maintained in the position assumed after it has been either partially or wholly set.

9. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with the brake, of the main operat in gmechanism therefor and the cam 0' formed with a bearing-surface of continually-increasing radius rigidly mounted upon the shaft a in appropriate proximity to said mechanism, said shaft being subjected to an unremitting torsional strain, whereby when said actuating mechanism is put in operation, said cam is rotated synchronously therewith to maintain the various parts in the position assumed after the brake mechanism has been either partially or wholly set.

10. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with the brake of the main operating mechanism therefor, and a cam a formed with a bearing-surface of continually-increasing radius, rigidly mounted on a shaft a in such proximity to said main operating mechism as to remain in constant contact therewith, and a coiled springi operating on said shaft, whereby when said main operating mechanism is actuated said cam is rotated in synchronism therewith.

11. In a safety device for elevators, the combination with the brake of the main operating mechanism therefor and a cam a formed with a bearing-surface of continually-increasing radius, automatically rotated, acting synchronously with said main operating mechanism and in such proximity thereto as to prevent the brake from assuming its normal position'after it has been either partially or wholly set, and means whereby said cam may be so rotated-as to allow the various parts to assume such position.

' 12. Inasafetydeviceforelevators,the combination with the brake of the main operating mechanism therefor, and the cam a, formed with a bearing-surfaceof continuallyincreasing radius, rigidly mounted upon a shaft in proximity to said mechanism, said shaft being subjected to an unremitting torsional strain whereby when said actuating mechanism is put into operation said cam is rotated synchronously therewith to maintain the various parts in the position'assumed after the brake has been either partially or wholly set, said shaft being constructed and arranged'as described so as'to be capable of rotation to return the various parts to their normal position.

13. In a safety device for elevators, the combination consisting substantially of brakeshoes adapted to engage the guide-runners and a compound-lever system for compressing the same against the said runners, and cam mechanism comprising a spirally-formed cam and cooperating elements operating in conjunction with one of said levers in said system and in synchronism with the operation of the same to'maintain the brake in the position assumed after the brake has been either partially or wholly set.

14. In a safety device for elevators,the combination consisting substantially of brakeshoes adapted to engage the guide-runners, and pivoted respectively to a clamping lever and jaw acted upon by a long lever, actuated by the main operating-lever, and mechanism applied to one of said levers and acting synchronously with the operation of said main operating-lever to maintain the brake inthe position assumed after the brake has been either partially or wholly set.

15. In a safety device for elevators, the combination consisting substantially of brakeshoes adapted to engage the guide-runners, and pivoted respectively to a clampingv lever or jaw, acted upon by a long lever, actuated by the main operating-lever, a spirally-formed cam c rigidly mounted on a shafta in suchproximity to one of said levers as to'remain in constant contact therewith, and a coiled spring 2' operating on said shaft whereby when said main operating mechanism is actuated said cam is rotatedin synchronism'therewith. In witness whereof I have hereto aflixed my signature, this 30th day of November, 1896, in the presence or two witnesses. EDWARD COLLINS.

Witnesses:

N. L. ERQTHINGHAM, F. A. SPERRY.

IIO 

